Brasília International Airport

Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto Internacional de Brasília–Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek) (IATA: BSB, ICAO: SBBR), also known as the Brasília International Airport, is the international airport serving Brasília and the surrounding Federal District. Since April 20, 1999, the airport is named after Juscelino Kubitschek (1902–1976), the 21st President of Brazil.^[5] The airport is located in the administrative region of Lago Sul, 5 kilometers from Brasília's South Wing (Asa Sul). It is operated by Inframerica.^[6]

Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport Aeroporto Internacional de Brasília–Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek
IATA: BSB ICAO: SBBR LID: DF0001
Summary
Airport type	Public/military
Operator	Infraero (1973–2012) Inframérica (2012–present)
Serves	Brasília
Opened	May 3, 1957 (1957-05-03)
Hub for	Gol Transportes Aéreos LATAM Brasil
Time zone	BRT (UTC−03:00)
Elevation AMSL	1,066 m / 3,498 ft
Coordinates	15°52′16″S 047°55′07″W / 15.87111°S 47.91861°W / -15.87111; -47.91861
Website	www.bsb.aero
Map
BSB Location in the Federal District Show map of Brasília BSB BSB (Brazil) Show map of Brazil
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11R/29L 3,300 10,827 Asphalt 11L/29R 3,200 10,499 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 14,860,880 10% Aircraft Operations 140,321 11% Metric tonnes of cargo 49,390 10%
Statistics: Inframérica^[1] Sources: Airport website,^[2] ANAC,^[3] DECEA^[4]

The airport site covers an area of about 2,900 hectares (7,165 acres) of airport property.^[7] Some of its facilities are shared with the Brasília Air Force Base of the Brazilian Air Force.

Airport diagram

Airport in 1959

South Concourse of BSB. The concourse is connected to BSB's main terminal and opened in April 2014.

Terminal interior

The apron before the expansion

LATAM Brasil aircraft with the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch arriving in Brazil

History

Brasília was only a project when in 1956 President Juscelino Kubitschek landed for the first time in the Central Plateau. Vera Cruz Airport, built in 1955 by the then Deputy-Governor of Goiás, Bernardo Sayão, at the request of the chairman of the location of the New Federal Capital, Marechal José Pessoa, already existed. On 2 October 1955, the airport received the first crew of workers that would build the new capital. This facility was located where today is the Integrated Bus and Train Terminal of Brasília. It had a dirt runway of 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) and a passenger terminal in a makeshift, cob-wall shack covered with buriti-leaves.^[8] This facility, however, was only temporary. The relocation to a definitive site had already been identified as a priority and construction work started on 6 November 1956. The work lasted for over six months and required the clearing of an area of 1,334 million square metres (14,360×10^⁶ sq ft), 178,500 square metres (1,921,000 sq ft) of earthwork, base-stabilized 40,900 square metres (440,000 sq ft), covering 73,500 square metres (791,000 sq ft), topographical services, positioning and leveling. The runway was designed to have a length of 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) but initially it had only 324 metres (1,063 ft), and was 45 metres (148 ft) wide. The passenger terminal was built of wood. On 2 April 1957, the presidential aircraft landed for the first time at the site, and the official inauguration took place on 3 May 1957. That year, at the same location the Brasília Air Force Base was also commissioned.^[8]

In 1965, Oscar Niemeyer proposed a visionary project for Brasília Airport to replace the wooden terminal: circular, with similar outside pillars of Alvorada Palace and subway tunnels to the satellite apron.^[9] However, he lost the concession, and due to the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état, the military-government chose to build the project of Tércio Fontana Pacheco, an architect of the Brazilian Air Force Ministry. The airport is thus one of the few important buildings in Brasília that is not related to Niemeyer.^[10] This building was opened in 1971.

In 1990, Brasília International Airport underwent its first major renovation and began to gain its present form with a central body and two satellites initially planned, but only one concluded, the west wing. Since 1990, it has been under renovation and expansions, constructed by Camargo Côrrea, following an architectural concept of the architect Sérgio Roberto Parada, with conclusion between 2000 until 2004.^[11] The first phase included the construction of an access-viaduct to the passenger terminal and metal cover inaugurated in 1992 and the first circular satellite, inaugurated in 1994, in which its form resembles an ovni disc. In the second phase, the main body of the passenger terminal was refitted to include a shopping-mall and the satellite received nine jetways. In 2005, a second runway was opened.^[8]

The former terminal for general aviation originally built in 1988 was again reviewed and transformed into Passenger Terminal 2. It was opened for traffic on 2 August 2010.^[12]

On 31 August 2009, Infraero unveiled a BRL514.8 million (US$306.06 million; EUR224.76 million) investment plan^[13] to renovate President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport, focusing on the preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brasília being one of the venue cities, and the Summer Olympics in 2016 which were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

• Enlargement of apron and taxiways (BRL 34.5 million). Completed in April 2013
• Renovation of the existing passenger terminal (BRL 22.5 million). Completed in November 2015
• Enlargement of the passenger terminal (BRL 439 million). Completed in April 2015
• Parking (BRL 18 million). Completed in April 2014

Responding to critiques to the situation of its airports, on May 18, 2011, Infraero released a list evaluating some of its most important airports according to its saturation levels. According to the list, Brasília was considered to be critically saturated, operating above 85% of its capacity.^[14]

Following a decision made on 26 April 2011 by the Federal Government for private companies being granted concessions to operate some Infraero airports,^[15] on 6 February 2012, the administration of the airport was granted for 25 years to the Consortium Inframérica, formed by the Brazilian Engineering Group Engevix (50 %) and the Argentinean Group Corporación América (50 %).^[16] Infraero, the state-run organization, retains 49% of the shares of the company incorporated for the administration.^[17][18]

Between 2012 and 2014, the consortium INFRAMERICA invested R$ 1.2 billion:^[19] remodeling the terminal, increasing the number of jetways from 13 to 29 and 40 to 70 airplane positions. In April 2014, the South Concourse, which serves domestic flights, was opened. Until April 2014, the terminal was capable of handling 9 million passengers per year, but actually handled around 14 million. With numbers constantly increasing until 2015, with a decline afterwards.

For 2016 until 2022, there were planned investments for the international area, new parking construction, four new hotels in the vicinity, a new business area and other facilities, like a Shopping Mall, but none was realized until middle 2022.^[20]

The Brazilian Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center section 1 (Cindacta I) is located in the vicinity of the airport.^[21]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas	Buenos Aires–Aeroparque
Azul Brazilian Airlines	Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, Cuiabá, Recife, São Paulo–Congonhas Seasonal: Maceió, Natal, Salvador da Bahia
Copa Airlines	Panama City–Tocumen
Gol Transportes Aéreos	Aracaju, Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Boa Vista, Bogotá (begins October 27, 2024),^[22] Campinas, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Juazeiro do Norte, Maceió, Manaus, Marabá, Miami, Natal, Orlando, Palmas, Porto Alegre, Porto Velho, Recife, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, São Luís, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Teresina, Vitória Seasonal: Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Jericoacoara, Porto Seguro
LATAM Brasil	Aracaju, Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Boa Vista, Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Imperatriz, João Pessoa, Macapá, Maceió, Manaus, Marabá, Natal, Palmas, Porto Alegre, Porto Seguro, Porto Velho, Recife, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Rio de Janeiro–Santos Dumont, Salvador da Bahia, Santarém, Santiago de Chile (resumes 1 June 2024),^[23] São Luís, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Sinop, Teresina, Vitória Seasonal: Navegantes, Uberlândia
LATAM Perú	Lima
Sky Airline	Seasonal: Santiago de Chile (begins 16 June 2024)^[24]
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon
Voepass Linhas Aéreas	Seasonal charter: Ilhéus, Porto Seguro

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
LATAM Cargo Brasil	Manaus, São Paulo-Guarulhos
Modern Logistics	Campinas, Manaus, Recife

Statistics

Annual Passenger Traffic

	Passengers				Aircraft Movements				Cargo (tons)				Mail (kg)
Year	Domestic	International	Total		Domestic	International	Total		Domestic	International	Total		Total
2023	14,303,933	556,947	14,860,880		136,283	4,038	140,321				49,390		9,887
2022	13,064,730	407,067	13,471,797		123,588	2,844	126,432				45,064		9,177
2021	10,408,651	90,446	10,499,097				102,897				42,203		13,479
2020	7,678,383	169,914	7,906,696				79,415				25,167		4,126
2019	16,109,562	617,615	16,727,177		138,976	4,796	143,772		66,777	4,558	71,335		5,600
2018	17,335,008	520,075	17,855,163		150,251	3,546	153,796		48,743	5,336	54,079		1,635
2017	16,447,183	465,497	16,912,680		145,259	3,360	148,619		43,800	5,236	49,036		6,344
2016	17,328,213	618,940	17,947,153		156,685	4,482	161,167		39,481	4,461	44,398		24,995
2015	19,110,040	711,756	19,821,796		180,972	5,405	186,377		41,158	5,179	46,337		12,560
2014	17,516,090	630,315	18,146,405		178,658	5,216	183,874		43,065	4,715	47,780		9,291
2013	15,967,191	522,796	16,489,987		175,280	4,376	179,656		46,213	5,773	51,986		15,644
2012	15,480,033	411,497	15,891,530		183,361	5,167	188,528
2011	15,015,205	383,532	15,398,737		185,676	3,894	189,570
2010	14,145,379	201,682	14,347,061		174,327	1,999	176,326
2009	12,056,634	157,191	12,213,825		160,595	1,754	160,349
2008	10,273,998	169,395	10,443,393		139,060	2,417	141,477
2007	11,047,041	72,831	11,119,872		125,706	1,147	126,853
2006	9,666,701	33,210	9,699,911		125,545	882	126,427

Busiest international routes

Rank^[25]	City	Passengers 2019	Passengers 2020	airlines
1	Miami, USA	164.744	35.561	Gol Linhas Aéreas
2	Lisbon, Portugal	133.952	37.648	TAP Portugal
3	Buenos Aires, Argentina	108.757	18.491	Gol Linhas Aéreas
4	Orlando, USA	99.117	21.260	Gol Linhas Aéreas
5	Panama City, Panama	96.183	22.778	Copa
6	Cancún, Mexico	20.565	10.138	Gol Linhas Aéreas
7	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic	9.452		LATAM Chile
8	Santiago, Chile	7.982	8.930	LATAM
9	Lima, Peru	5.557	7.194	LATAM Peru

Busiest domestic routes (2019)

Rank^[25]	Airport	Passengers	City	State
1	Congonhas Airport	2.065.854	São Paulo	São Paulo
2	Guarulhos – Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport	1.349.650	São Paulo	São Paulo
3	Santos Dumont Airport	1.106.342	Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro
4	Confins – Tancredo Neves International Airport	927.263	Belo Horizonte	Minas Gerais
5	Viracopos International Airport	787.064	Campinas	São Paulo
6	Galeão – Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport	732.718	Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro
7	Pinto Martins International Airport	718.193	Fortaleza	Ceará
8	Guararapes – Gilberto Freyre International Airport	614.853	Recife	Pernambuco
9	Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport	614.439	Salvador	Bahia
10	Salgado Filho International Airport	583.571	Porto Alegre	Rio Grande do Sul
11	Eduardo Gomes International Airport	538.448	Manaus	Amazonas
12	Val de Cães International Airport	465.283	Belém	Pará
13	Marechal Rondon International Airport	436.000	Cuiabá	Mato Grosso
14	Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport	431.845	Maceió	Alagoas
15	Afonso Pena International Airport	415.680	Curitiba	Paraná

Accidents and incidents

• 22 December 1962: a Varig Convair CV-240 registration PP-VCQ flying from Belo Horizonte-Pampulha to Brasília descended below the prescribed altitude while on final approach to Brasília, struck trees, skidded and fell to one side. One crew member died.^[26]
• 25 April 1970: a VASP Boeing 737-200 in route from Brasília to Manaus-Ponta Pelada was hijacked by a person who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The hijack lasted a day.^[27]
• 14 May 1970: a VASP Boeing 737-200 in route from Brasília to Manaus-Ponta Pelada was hijacked by a person who demanded to be flown to Cuba. Duration was one day.^[28]
• 22 February 1975: a VASP Boeing 737-200 registration PP-SMU in route from Goiânia to Brasília was hijacked by a person who demanded ransom. The hijacker was taken down.^[29]
• 25 May 1982: a VASP Boeing 737-200 registration PP-SMY made a hard landing with nose gear first at Brasília during rainy weather. The gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded off the runway breaking in two. Two passengers out of 118 occupants died.^[30]
• 18 March 1991: an Air Conesul Táxi Aéreo Learjet 25 crashed during a nighttime approach 8km (5mls) from the airport. All four occupants were killed.^[31]

Access

The airport is located 11 km (7 mi) from downtown Brasília, in the administrative region of Lago Sul. Regular buses, numbers 102 and 102.1, are frequent and link the airport to the main bus terminal at Rodoviária, from where travelers can catch buses or the subway to other parts of the city. The airport is also served by taxis.

See also

• List of airports in Brazil
• Brasília Air Force Base

References

1. "Dados operacionais". Inframérica (in Portuguese). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
2. "Aeroporto de Brasília". Inframérica (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 May 2022.
3. "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 22 August 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
4. "Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek (SBBR)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 August 2023.
5. "Lei n˚9.794, de 20 de abril de 1999". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 20 April 1999. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
6. . bsb.aero. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
7. "Information about Brasilia Intl Airport". aeroportobrasilia.net. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
8. "Aeroportos: Brasília" (in Portuguese). Jetsite. from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
9. "Aeroporto Oscar Niemeyer". 4 May 2022.
10. Parada, Sergio Roberto. "Aeroporto de Brasília, uma questão de arquitetura" (PDF) (in Portuguese). IABDF. (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
11. "Aeroporto". 4 May 2022.
12. "Terminal 2 do aeroporto de Brasília recebe voos regulares" (in Portuguese). Infraero. 1 September 2010. from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
13. Rittner, Daniel; Braga, Paulo Victor (31 August 2009). . Valor Econômico (in Portuguese). pp. A4. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
14. (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
15. Bitencourt, Rafael (26 April 2011). "Governo define concessão de obras em 3 aeroportos, diz Palocci" (in Portuguese). Valor Online. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
16. Rittner, Daniel (7 February 2012). "Cumbica, Viracopos e Brasília são privatizados" (in Portuguese). Valor Econômico. from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
17. Salomon, Marta; Monteiro, Tânia (1 June 2011). "Governo pretende privatizar três aeroportos e abrir o capital da Infraero" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo: Economia. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
18. "Brazil moves swiftly (at last) to award airport concessions". CAPA. 9 February 2012. from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
19. "Investments". Inframérica. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
20. "Brasília ganha complexo de R$ 700 million". 7 February 2022.
21. "Cindacta I" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Air Force: Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo DECEA. from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
22. "https://www.aeroflap.com.br/en/Gol-announces-flights-between-Brasilia-and-Bogota-in-October/". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
23. "Após SKY programar voos entre Brasília e Santiago, LATAM também anuncia volta das operações na rota". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
24. "Sky Airline Adds 2 New Brasilian Routes From June 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
25. "Estatisticas". app.powerbi.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
26. "Accident description PP-VCQ". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
27. "Incident description Vasp April 25, 1970". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
28. "Incident description Vasp May 14, 1970". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
29. "Incident description PP-SMU". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
30. "Accident description PP-SMY". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
31. "Accident description PT-LLL". Aviation Safety Network. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

External links

•   Media related to Brasília International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
• Airport information for SBBR at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for SBBR at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for BSB at Aviation Safety Network
• Documentary about Brasília International Airport
• SIBS - Industrial Area close to Brasilia's Int'l Airport